Breakfast Cookies

As my kids get older I notice more and more that lunch can be a slippery slope. One day the lunchbox comes home totally empty, while other days it's halfway-to-completely full as kids tend to get preoccupied chit chatting or immediately bolt to the playground at lunchtime to let off some steam. Nutritionally kids tend to get what their bodies need, so it's no cause for alarm, but parents understandably get unnerved when they notice their kids haven't eaten much during the day.

That's why breakfast is so important. Knowing your kids left the house with full bellies in the morning can make your after-school encounter with an untouched lunch box a little less unsettling. But why do I hear so often from parents that breakfast is the bane of their existence? It doesn't have to be if you have batches of Breakfast Cookies on hand. You heard me right, Breakfast Cookies! I've said it before and I'll say it again: give a kid food in the form of a pancake like Banana Bites, put it on a stick (consider Pancake Sausage Muffins on a Stick) or call it a cookie and it will almost guarantee they will be excited about eating it.

These Breakfast Cookies are awesome because they have tons of protein, Omega-3 fatty acids to support brain development and carbohydrates -- all things you want to get your kids going first thing in the morning. And for moms who prefer not having all the butter of a traditional cookie, I've reduced what this recipe would normally call for and replaced it with apple sauce, which also gives these cookies a naturally sweet and moist texture.

If everything I've told you so far hasn't gotten you excited enough, these Breakfast Cookies freeze beautifully before or after you bake them so all they require is a quick pop in the toaster. How easy is that? Your kids will be so happy being sent off to school fueled with cookies and you'll actually feel good about the breakfast you served!

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Catherine McCordCatherine McCord

Breakfast Cookies(makes 20 cookies)

Prep Time: 10 mins,(PT10M)

Cook Time: 15 mins,(PT15M)

Rating:

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As my kids get older I notice more and more that lunch can be a slippery slope. One day the lunchbox comes home totally empty, while other days it's halfway-to-completely full as kids tend to get preoccupied chit chatting or immediately bolt to the...

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cupapple sauce

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 largeegg

2 teaspoonsvanilla extract

1 cupwhole wheat flour

2 cupsold fashioned oats

1/2 teaspoonbaking soda

1/2 teaspoonsalt

1 teaspoonground cinnamon

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

1/2 cupdried cherries

1/2 cup flax seeds

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Place the butter, apple sauce and maple syrup in a bowl or standing mixer and beat until well combined.

3. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

5. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix to incorporate.

6. Fold in the pistachios, cherries and flax seeds.

7. Using a small ice cream scoop or 2 tablespoon measure, drop dough onto Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheets. Use the palm of your hand to gently press down the cookies, as they do not spread during baking.

7. Bake for 15 minutes and remove to a cooling rack.

To Freeze: Before baking, after step 7 place in the freezer for 1 hour and then transfer to zipper bags. When ready to bake add an additional minute to the cooking time.

To Freeze: After baking, place in freezer bags and freeze up to 3 months.

Kay Chitty

March 19, 2015 at 9:32 am

LNB

March 15, 2015 at 11:43 am

Thank you Catherine, almost every recipe I have tried from this website has been a hit and I feel bad I have never left a compliment!. I changed this one up a bit and used raisins and walnuts and coconut oil in place of butter. I appreciate knowing I can come here to find nutritious recipes for my family but I have to say, I usually cut back on the amount of sweetener you call for and things still taste great! (Here I used less than 1/4 cup maple syrup. I think 1/2 cup would add too much sweetness that this recipe- and my kids!- really don”t need.) Thanks again!!

Claire

January 25, 2015 at 1:48 pm

clara

October 31, 2014 at 3:34 am

Tasty but came out dry – could have been since I used sesame seeds instead of pistachios – to make it nut free and used st dalfour jelly for part of the apple sauce quantity. I really like using these sugar-free jellies especially since raw berries go bad so quickly, take a while to wash and are often sour. Will try again but maybe with some coconut oil…

Isabelle

September 24, 2014 at 11:24 am

First time I baked the breakfast cookies, they came out dry and dense. My family didn’t liked them much. This time I baked a new batch with 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup apple sauce, 1.5 cup of flour and 1.5 cup of baby oats. I also cut the pistachios in smaller pieces. Result? It’s fantastic! It’s not even breakfast time and I’m having a cookie right now

July 31, 2014 at 6:21 pm

annaosterwald

July 19, 2014 at 12:53 pm

Just put a batch in the oven! I used sliced almonds instead of pistachios. The batter tastes a little salty…hope it evens out in the baking process! Cant wait to try the finished product with my kiddos! Thank you

Sarah

June 24, 2014 at 8:05 pm

My daughter eats very little (always has) and needs to put on a few more pounds- I have the hardest time finding healthy foods that still have plenty of calories! What if I wanted to use all butter instead of subbing with applesauce? How much would I use?

June 25, 2014 at 8:25 am

Rachel

June 9, 2014 at 4:45 am

These are delicious! My son was thrilled to eat a cookie for breakfast, and I enjoyed one with my coffee. I used pumpkin seeds, raisins, dried cranberries, and dried coconut instead of the cherries and pistachios just because it’s what I had on hand. Next time I’ll make a double batch and freeze them! Thank you for sharing!

mhsi

May 23, 2014 at 10:11 pm

We are on a roll here because I couldn’t get my butter (which was left out a long time and very softened) to incorporate into the applesauce/butter mixture. I still made them and they came out well. Though I do wonder if they would be even better if I was able to make that mixture “light and fluffy” as Catherine writes. I used my KitchenAid Stand Mixer with the flat beater. Do you use that or the wire whisk?

Merrilee

May 21, 2014 at 6:22 pm

Mandy

May 19, 2014 at 9:35 am

Oh and for the fat I used some greek yogurt and applesauce as well as some earth balance spread. Its amazing to me that you can use whole milk yogurt or applesauce or even avocado can as a substitution for oil. I only recently discovered this. As well as an egg free option using ground flax seed. Love it!

Mandy

May 19, 2014 at 9:33 am

I found a recipe similar to this yesterday in my Joy of Cooking cookbook only it had wheat germ, lots of oats, honey, flax and i used toasted coconut,sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds along with chopped dates and they are the bomb! I love anything that I can hide goodness in for my 2 year old thats usually too busy playing to really want to eat. Thanks for all the great ideas and recipes!

Stephanie

May 16, 2014 at 6:16 am

jlabecker

May 15, 2014 at 8:26 am

I made theae last night and they turned out great. I gave one to my two year old daughter this morning. She must have thought she hit the jackpot since she never gets cookies in the morning. All I heard was, “mmmm”, and “Mommy, this is a yummy cookie” as she ate the entire thing. Thank you for a creative way to get her to eat a nutritious breakfast and for making my life easier by not having to go through the usual breakfast debate. The other nice thing about your recipes is that adults like them too so I only have to prep one thing. Thank you!

Catherine McCord

May 15, 2014 at 8:22 pm

Whitney

May 15, 2014 at 1:59 am

Any suggestions for how to adapt this using stevia. My family has rid our diet of added sugars with the exception of stevia. Would it even work? Could you substitute peanut butter or something like that for a binding agent?

Catherine McCord

May 14, 2014 at 9:25 pm

Ashia mann

May 14, 2014 at 2:02 pm

Has anyone tried a GF version? Maybe grind oats into flour and add some rice or potato flour? I may try millet and amaranth but was hoping not to waste a batch of the other goodies in case they don’t turn out!

Catherine McCord

May 14, 2014 at 2:03 pm

Virginia

May 14, 2014 at 1:07 pm

Janis, I subbed dried unsweetened cranberries and white wheat flour and it seems to work fine, although mine are taking a little longer to cook through. I think I should have flattened my dough balls down a little to make them more uniform circles.

Cheryl Kramer

May 14, 2014 at 9:57 am

Elana Stein

May 14, 2014 at 9:44 am

It’s like you read my mind! ?Yesterday my kids barely touched their lunches, and it was all things I know they really like, so I’ve been focusing so much more on breakfast and after school snacks (which are really mini-meals). I’m going to try these tonight! Thanks Catherine!

Catherine McCord

May 14, 2014 at 10:01 am

beatrizvn

July 5, 2014 at 9:38 pm

I used sunflower seeds and the cookies turned green around the seeds! I googled it and found out that this happens because of the baking soda and even though they look poisonous they’re absolutely safe. The problem was that my girls didn’t want to eat them anymore (they did look a bit strange). So next time I won’t use sunflower seeds again. They’re delicious with walnuts or cashews

Catherine McCord

May 14, 2014 at 10:01 am

Tracy

May 13, 2014 at 10:07 pm

Jackie

May 14, 2014 at 5:58 pm

I was thinking the same thing. Any recipe I use flax seed in calls for grinding it first. For some reason, I seem to remember reading that it makes the good stuff easier for your body to get to. Although I could totally be making that up

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